The invention relates to food processing systems having a conveyor for transporting a food product in a mold through a processing chamber to cook or chill the food product. More specifically, the invention relates to an adjustable food product mold for use in such a food processing system to vary the shape and/or size of the mold and to compensate for variances in the food product inserted into the mold.
The present invention is an improvement of my earlier U.S. Pat. No. 5,520,097, issued to the inventor of the present patent application on May 28, 1996 entitled "Molded Food Processing System", which is incorporated herein by reference.
The invention arose during continuing development efforts relating to continuous serpentine conveyor molded food processing systems. A serpentine food processor typically employs a continuous serpentine chain conveyor for transporting a food product through a processing chamber. The chamber has a predetermined temperature and environment for processing the food product, such as for cooking or chilling the product.
The present invention particularly arose during development efforts directed toward a molded meat cooker. The meat product, such as ham, is in a bag which is loaded into a shaping mold, e.g. 4 inches by 6 inches by 60 inches to form a loaf which is later sliced. A plurality of molds are carried by a conveyor through a processing chamber from a loading station to an unloading station and then returned by the conveyor from the unloading station to the loading station. The molds remain with the conveyor in the processing chamber. The bagged meat product is loaded into a mold at the loading station by an operator, and is removed or ejected from the mold at the unloading station. During cooking, the bagged meat product takes the shape of the mold. Through continuing development efforts, it has been determined that it is desirable to have a mold design that accommodates multiple sizes of meat products in a single mold. In other words, it is desirable to have a mold in which the size and/or shape of the cavity can be varied to produce food products of various shapes and sizes.